Scope note: This page is a summary reference for special reservation categories that are out of scope of our Engineering சேருங்க — Season 1 counselling guide. For the full process, certificate templates, and round-by-round counselling rules, please refer to the Special Reservation 2026 (PDF) and Annexure III of the TNEA 2026 Information Brochure.
What "Special Reservation" Means in TNEA
TNEA recognises four special-reservation categories that have separate counselling rounds and seat quotas in addition to the General Counselling and 7.5% Government School Quota:
- Differently Abled (DA) — 5% horizontal reservation
- Ex-Servicemen — 150 reserved seats (8 Govt + 34 Aided + 108 Self-Financing)
- Eminent Sports Persons — 500 reserved seats (12 Govt + 488 Self-Financing)
- Vocational Stream — 2% of Government seats
The 2026 schedule splits special-reservation counselling into two tracks, both happening before the General Counselling rounds:
- Section G: Special Reservation Counselling under Government 7.5% pool (DA / Ex-Serv / Sports who are also government-school-eligible)
- Section H: Special Reservation Counselling under General pool (DA / Ex-Serv / Sports — non-7.5%)
Source: TNEA 2026 Tentative Schedule (PDF), Sections G and H.
1. Differently Abled (DA) Quota — 5%, 21 Categories
Legal basis
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 (RPWD §32) + DoTE letter no. 9768/DAP-3.1/2017-24 dt. 10.05.2024.
21 categories covered
The 2016 Act recognises 21 disability categories grouped as follows:
| Group | Categories |
|---|---|
| Vision | Blindness · Low Vision |
| Hearing | Deaf · Hard of Hearing |
| Locomotor | Locomotor Disability · Leprosy Cured Persons · Cerebral Palsy · Dwarfism · Muscular Dystrophy · Acid Attack Victims |
| Intellectual / Mental | Intellectual Disability (Mental Retardation) · Specific Learning Disabilities · Autism Spectrum Disorder · Mental Illness |
| Chronic / Neurological | Chronic Neurological Conditions · Multiple Sclerosis · Parkinson's Disease |
| Blood Disorders | Haemophilia · Thalassemia · Sickle Cell Disease |
| Multiple | Multiple Disabilities including Deafblindness |
Branch suitability
- Mining Engineering: NOT permitted for any disability category.
- Marine Engineering: Not permitted (per IMU norms — colour vision + height + age requirements).
- CSE / AI&DS / IT / Cyber Security / IoT: Suitable for ALL 21 categories.
- Other branches: Suitable except for 100% blindness (case-by-case for visual-display-heavy specialisations).
Certificate
Use the Disability Certificate templates (Cert. II, III, IV, V — by disability type) from the Special Reservation 2026 PDF. The certificate must be issued by an authorised medical board.
2. Ex-Servicemen Quota — 150 Seats
| Pool | Seats |
|---|---|
| Government colleges | 8 |
| Government Aided colleges | 34 |
| Self-Financing colleges | 108 |
| Total | 150 |
Eligibility
- Sons / daughters / spouses of Ex-Servicemen (Defence Service Personnel) of Indian Armed Forces.
- The candidate must produce a valid Ex-Servicemen Identification Card or Discharge Certificate (Cert. I template in Special Reservation 2026 PDF).
Counselling
Ex-Servicemen seats are filled in the Special Reservation rounds (Sections G and H of the official schedule), before General Counselling.
3. Eminent Sports Persons Quota — 500 Seats
| Pool | Seats |
|---|---|
| Government colleges | 12 |
| Self-Financing colleges | 488 |
| Total | 500 |
Legal basis
G.O. (Ms) No. 121, Higher Education (J1) Department, dated 03.07.2012.
Eligibility
- Achievement in recognised sports during the last 4 academic years — for TNEA 2026, that is 01.06.2022 to 31.05.2026.
- Minimum 5 sports marks required to be considered for ranking.
- Sports certificates must be from State / National / International level recognised events.
Counselling
Sports quota seats are filled in the Special Reservation rounds (Sections G and H), before General Counselling.
4. Vocational Stream — 2% of Government Seats
Legal basis
G.O. (Ms) No. 121, Higher Education (J2) Department, dated 30.06.2022.
Who is eligible
HSC Vocational stream students — those who studied a recognised vocational subject in Class 11 + 12 in lieu of one of the regular academic subjects.
TNEA score formula for Vocational
Vocational Score (out of 200) = Maths / Phy / Chem (out of 100)
+ Vocational Theory + Practical (out of 100)
= 200 marks
Counselling
The 2026 schedule lists Vocational Stream as the third leg of General Counselling (Section I.3 of the official schedule), running simultaneously with Academic counselling and the 7.5% Government School Quota — same dates, same portal, separate ranking and separate seat pool.
5. Where Each Quota Applies — Side-by-side
| Feature | DA | Ex-Servicemen | Sports | Vocational |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation type | Horizontal (5%) | Vertical (150 seats) | Vertical (500 seats) | Vertical (2% of Govt seats) |
| Counselling section | G + H | G + H | G + H | I.3 (parallel to General) |
| Round timing | Before General Counselling | Before General Counselling | Before General Counselling | Same dates as General Counselling |
| Required certificate | RPWD-compliant Disability Certificate | Ex-Serv ID / Discharge | Sports certificates (last 4 yrs, ≥ 5 marks) | HSC Vocational mark sheet |
| Branch restrictions | Mining + Marine excluded; case-by-case for blind | None | None | None |
6. Where to get the Application & Certificate Templates
- Special Reservation Certificates I–VI (PDF) — official template formats for Ex-Servicemen, Disability (5 sub-types), and Sports
- TNEA 2026 Information Brochure — Annexure III for full disability list and rank rules
- Details and Documents Required 2026 (PDF) — for the EMIS, DD payee, and document checklist
- TNEA 2026 Tentative Schedule (PDF) — for confirmed Section G and H dates once AICTE approves
FAQ
Q1. Is special-reservation counselling part of General Counselling?
No. Special Reservation rounds (Sections G + H of the 2026 schedule) run before General Counselling. After all special reservation seats are filled, General Counselling begins.
Q2. Can a candidate apply for both Special Reservation and General Counselling?
Yes. A candidate eligible for special reservation also automatically appears in the General Rank list and is eligible to compete for OC / Community / 7.5% seats in General Counselling. Special-reservation allotment does not preclude general allotment if the candidate declines.
Q3. Are these quotas in addition to the 7.5% Government School quota?
Yes — and they intersect. A government-school student who is also Differently Abled / Ex-Serv child / Sports person is counted in Section G (special reservation under 7.5% pool). A non-government-school candidate with the same status is counted in Section H (special reservation under General pool).
Q4. Why doesn't this portal cover special reservations in detail?
Engineering சேருங்க — Season 1 focuses on General Academic Counselling + 7.5% Government School Quota — the path that ~95% of candidates use. Special reservations have their own brochure templates, rounds, and certificate workflows that warrant a dedicated guide. We provide this summary page + direct PDF links so candidates can find the official source quickly.
Q5. What about B.Arch?
B.Arch is also out of scope. B.Arch admissions run on a separate official subdomain at barch.tneaonline.org with its own brochure, schedule, and a compulsory NATA / JEE Paper-2 requirement.
Last verified: May 2026. Source documents: TNEA 2026 Information Brochure, Special Reservation 2026 PDF, TNEA 2026 Tentative Schedule. Independent guide; not affiliated with DoTE.
